Telegrapher&#39;s finger-guard.



No. 68!,185. Patented Au -27, 19m.

- l. H. BLESSING.

TELEGRAPI'IERS FINGER GUARD.

(Application filed Nov. 14, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES T at whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, IRA H. BLESSING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, 1 New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in. Telegraphers Finger- 1 Guards; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the "inventiomsuch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompa- 1 nyingdrawings,and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a newand improved finger guard for telegraphers. In the drawings, Figure 1 shows aplan view of one form of my guard; Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional view thereof; Fig.3,an equivalent therefor, showing the same in side elevation; Fig. 4, a top plan view of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5, a side elevation of a telegraphic button and asimilar view of that form of my in vention shown in Fig. 1 as used in connec- I tion therewith, a hand being shown in the j dotted lines in the ordinary position when using a telegraphic instrument. I The main disadvantage experienced in using the ordinary telegraphic instrument as it is commonly used is that the button 8 is grasped between the thumb and the side of the second finger 4, as seen in Fig. 5. The constantvibratory motion given the button 8 and the pressure against the side of finger 4 cause the button to press into the flesh and 1 make the finger first sore and then calloused r and finallyfresults in lameness and soreness of the hand, wrist, and arm, ending many times on the muscles of the finger, hand, and arm,

face or cushionbybuffing or raising said surface, as seen at 3; but any sort of cushioning material may be attached to said surface, if preferred, such as velvet or plush or any other desired material, or if the material of which the, ring 1 is formed is itself .softand pliable no in what is called telegraphers paralysis. To avoid this pressure on the finger and to: mitigate the action of this vibratory motion I have devised a ring 1, having a hole 2 for I the insertion ofthe finger 4, which is the sec- I 0nd finger of the hand, and on the surfaceof the hole I have preferably formed a soft sur- ATENT Fries.

IRA BLESSING, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

TELEGRAPHERS FINGER-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,185, dated August 27, 1901.

Applicaticn filed November 14,1900. Serial No. 36,431. (No model.)

cushioning may be had,if desired. I preferably make my ring 1 of rubber or leather, and preferably make the hole 2 eccentric with the body of the ring; but any material desired may be used and the hole he made central, if desired, and the ring made to stay in place on the finger by any other means than the hole 2, as will at once be evident to those skilled in the art; but I prefer it as shown.

When the form shown in Fig. 1 is used, it is slipped on the finger, as seen at 1 in Fig.

5, when it will rest upon the top edge of the.

button 8, and the side of the finger 4 may be held so as not to touch the edge of the button 8, and the finger will be relieved of the pres sure of the button, and the bearing of the inner surface of the hole will be entirely around the whole surface of the finger and so thus distributed that the nerves of the finger are not affected disadvantageously, and telegraphing will be found to be much easier and less fatiguing, and there will be no pains in the hand, wrist, or arm after protracted work with the instrument. When that form of my device shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is used, the same result is attained, and it is an equiv= alent of that form seen in Fig. 1. The nu= merals 5 and 6 show loops encircling the finger 4, made by looping a piece of wire at each end and having a shank anda projection 7, all forming, preferably, one instrument. The finger 4 is slipped into the top loop and down into the bottom loop 6, and as the projection 7 projects from the side of finger 4 and the wire is more or less flexible the finger is easily bent while the guard is in position, the projection 7 resting on top of the button 8 precisely as does the ring 1, as seen in Fig. 5.

In the form shown in Fig. 3 there are two bearings against the finger, as seen at 5 and 6, which relieve any undue pressure upon the finger at any one spot or small area of its surface, and thus no injury is done the finger, and the nerves are almost entirely relieved of any tendency to being overworked or otherwise injured. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that there can be made a number of modifications of this form of the device which will act as equivalents thereof without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore declare that I do not confine myself to the exact form shown either of the ring 1 or of the wire device shown in Figs. 3 and 4, but claim all equivalents thereof.

Where the loops 5 and 6 or the ring 1 is made of wire or other bendable material, it will be found that by simply contracting or spreading the loops they may be made to fit almost any ordinary finger,and therefore such loops are adjustable to various fingers, and I therefore claim such as being adjustable guards, the adjustability thereof being a fea ture in the device.

I do not confine myself to anyparticnlar manner of holding the device to the finger, as it may be done by the loops shown or in any other desirable way, such as willbe readily perceived.

Theoperation is as follows: When thede-j vice is in position on the finger, as shown,:

the pro'jectingedge of ring 1 or theprojection j 7 (seeni n Figs. 3 and 4) will rest in contact with the'key-buttonv8, as seen. As the hand I is pressed down theprojection forces the buti ton 8.d wn and it is brought back partlyby the spring always used in connection "with suchinstruments and partly by the thumb, the finger 4 having nothing whatever to do with bringingthe button back 'toi'ts normal condition, as the finger lTltSelf doesnottouch thebutton 8 when wearing my guard. in this f way the edge of the button does not press{ into the finger, makinganjindent therein,as is the case when inyguard is not worn, nor

operate .as .well .as ever, provided the whole arm is not paralyzed.

Now, having fully described my invention,

,sothat those skilled in the art may know how to make and use the same, I declare that what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A finger-guard for telegraphers consisting of a body carried 011 the finger, a portion of said body projecting outwardly and arranged to lie on or overlap the telegraph-key in order that the downstroke of "thekey shall he maderby the pressure of the projection on the key substantially as described.

2. ,Asa new articleof manufacture a fingerguard "for telegraphers consisting of a body carried on the finger, a portion thereof projecting outwardly and arranged to overlap the telegraph-key substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two Witnesses.

IRA H. BLESSING.

Witnesses:

W. BRO N, A. 'M. TURNER. 

